We received many questions regarding those “May contain…” type messages you find on labels after our Time article yesterday. With that in mind, here’s a 10 second quiz to see how well you know what those warnings really mean:

The following are allergen warnings you might find on a product that does not contain the allergen as an ingredient. Simply put them in order of safest to most risk that the product contains traces of the allergen:

A – May contain allergen
B – Manufactured in a facility that also processes allergen
C – Manufactured on equipment that also processes allergen
D – May contain traces of allergen
E – [No statement]

We are pleased to announce a number of new products from two members of our Manufacturer Partnership, but before we do, here’s a few changes we made to better accommodate them.

First, we added a new category: Health Foods and Supplements. While it’s true that many partner products are organic, non-GMO and might be considered health foods, this category is reserved for specific products the average consumer might consider “nutrition boosters”. (Though many of them are also used as basic cooking and baking ingredients.)

Second, we made a change to the Safe Snack Guide to match how we group products in Allergence, our product screening service: we split Baking Chocolate and Chocolate Chips into a separate category from Baking/Flours/Mixes to make it a bit easier to find the products you’re looking for.

On to the new products:

Red Plate Foods, a family owned business located in Oregon known for their delicious Top-8 free vegan cookies and muffins, has introduced a new line of nut-free (worry-free) granolas. Click here to learn more about Red Plate Foods and their products. [The owner of Red Plate Foods, Becca Williams, recently contributed a wonderful article explaining what you can do to encourage your local market to stock more Free From products entitled: “Editorial: Food Allergy Shoppers, Speak Up!“]

Giddy Yoyo, a company based in Ontario specializing in raw, organic, nutrient dense foods, has extended their line of organic chocolate and cacao products and added a number of health foods and supplements, including frozen organic wheatgrass juice and spirulina powder. Click here to learn more about Giddy Yoyo and their products.

Running a small start-up that makes delicious Top-8 allergen-free, vegan, GMO-free muffins, cookies, and now granola, Becca knows what she’s up against when trying to get her products into stores that cater to standard fare.

If you truly want to know what you can do to encourage more stores carry a greater variety of Free From products, read what she had to say on her own blog:

Each month, we receive hundreds of inquiries from readers of our Safe Snack Guide, a resource relied upon by thousands of schools and tens of thousands of parents nationwide to help keep peanuts and tree nuts out of the classroom and the home. We do our best to respond in a timely fashion, but take special notice when we spot a trend.

Lately, we’ve received dozens of inquiries with concerns regarding Pepperidge Farm’s Goldfish line. As the firm is not a member of our Manufacturer Partnership, we reached out to them as you might… starting with the “Contact-Us” page on their website. We made clear that we would not be satisfied with a canned response from their customer service department and instead requested an official reply from firm management.

Eventually, we reached Brian Blanchard, Vice President of US Snacks for Pepperidge Farm who put us in touch with Ellen Passero, Manager Quality and Consumer Affairs for the firm.

We asked two specific questions: Which Goldfish varieties are reliably manufactured on dedicated lines that are free of peanuts and tree nuts, and which are manufactured in facilities free of the same.

Lucy’s is dedicated to the best practices in allergen safety. They carefully exclude wheat/gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts from their products and plant. And, best of all, their treats taste great! They offer a wide range of flavors and several pack sizes for lunches and travel. (Click to learn more about Lucy’s and their products.)

Eleni’s New York specializes in beautiful hand-made, hand-iced sugar cookies baked from scratch in a dedicated peanut and tree nut-free facility. No conveyor belts, no automated decorating, no mass production, all done the old fashioned way, one cookie at a time.

We field hundreds of questions each month about our Safe Snack Guide, a resource relied upon by thousands of schools and tens of thousands of parents nationwide to keep peanuts and tree nuts out of the classroom and the home.

Most are for products from companies that have yet to join our Manufacturer Partnership, the ones denoted in the Guide by black bullets. For these, we make a best effort to verify they are not produced on shared lines where peanuts and tree nuts are also processed, and we do this generally by starting with the consumer service line.

Recently, we’ve had a number of inquiries regarding Hershey’s Kisses and 1.55oz Milk Chocolate Bars, the two Hershey’s brand items listed in the Guide. We decided it was time to revisit the safety of these products by reaching out to the Hershey Company directly and requesting an official response from the firm. Our inquiry was specific: Are these items made on shared lines with peanuts and tree nuts?

We received the following response from Jeff Beckman, Director of Corporate Communications for the Hershey Company:

popchips – The innovative popped snack company offers an extensive line of potato and veggie chips that are certified gluten-free, trans and saturated fat-free and free of preservatives and artificial ingredients. Several of the company’s products also recently received non-GMO verification and are manufactured in a facility free of seven of the top eight allergens.

Winona Pure – Winona Foods® of Green Bay markets a line of cooking oils under the Winona Pure® brand, all manufactured in a peanut, tree nut and sesame-free facility. Their specialized packaging allows them to offer Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Canola, Sunflower and Popcorn Butter flavored oils in a convenient spray without the need for chemical propellants or additives.

We issued a press release welcoming both national brands to the Manufacturer Partnership.

Products will be showcased in the Safe Snack Guide and Allergence, resources trusted by schools and the allergic community.

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 14, 2015

SnackSafely.com, publisher of the Safe Snack Guide™ – a resource relied upon by thousands of schools and tens of thousands of parents nationwide to help keep peanuts and tree nuts out of the classroom and the home – is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to its Manufacturer Partnership.

Winona Foods® of Green Bay markets a line of cooking oils under the Winona Pure® brand, all manufactured in a peanut, tree nut and sesame-free facility. Their specialized packaging allows them to offer Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Canola, Sunflower and Popcorn Butter flavored oils in a convenient spray without the need for chemical propellants or additives.

popchips, the innovative popped snack company, offers an extensive line of potato and veggie chips that are certified gluten-free, trans and saturated fat-free and free of preservatives and artificial ingredients. Several of the company’s products also recently received non-GMO verification and are manufactured in a facility free of seven of the top eight allergens. Their popping process produces great tasting snacks without the use of the heavy oils that are commonly used in the traditional frying process.

“We understand the importance of transparency for consumers coping with food allergies and the need for them to make informed decisions,” says Marc Seguin, CMO of popchips. “The Safe Snack Guide and Allergence, resources trusted by the allergic community, are important ways for us to share additional information about our products.”

“As the name states, we developed our Winona Pure line of oils to exacting standards for purity, making them especially appealing to individuals with a wide range of dietary restrictions,” says Terry Steinmann, CEO of Winona Foods. “SnackSafely.com provides effective programs that will help us reach this growing demographic where traditional media often falls short.”

Dave Bloom, CEO of SnackSafely.com says: “We are pleased to welcome popchips and Winona Foods to our growing list of manufacturers, all of which are committed to providing significantly more allergen information than the FDA requires on the label.

“We look forward to helping these national brands build connections with the millions of consumers seeking products that are compatible with their specific allergen concerns.”

SnackSafely.com’s proprietary platform provides a portal for manufacturers to disclose how 11 allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk soy, wheat fish, shellfish, gluten, sesame and mustard) are processed during the manufacture of each of their products. In return, qualifying products earn listings in the Safe Snack Guide and Allergence, a service allowing individuals with multiple food allergies/intolerances to screen products based upon the allergen information provided by the manufacturers.

Joining the partnership of over 40 manufacturers is absolutely free. Manufacturers employing responsible practices are encouraged to apply at http://mfg.snacksafely.com.